Roommates Together Forever
by Heidi
Summary: Sequel to Class Act, 3rd in School Ties Series, Sam/Donna


  
  
  
  
  
Roommates Together Forever  
By Heidi H. and Lisa  
May 2001  
  
  
Disclaimers-These are not my characters and I am making no money off of them.  
  
Ratings-Sam/Donna, Sam moves into Donna's apartment and the senior staff finds out about their new living arrangements  
  
Special Thanks-Lisa for being my co-author and giving me wonderful ideas for this series.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sam was glad and not so glad to be home. He was happy that the memo on the newest Environment Bill was finally finished. Sam knew that it was going to be another long weekend at his place. The new neighbors loved to party and their parties lasted from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Sam saw all of the cars in the parking lot of his building and just dreaded going into the building. Sam opened the doors and was almost knocked over by the powerful smell of alcohol and pot. He made his way up the stairs through the throngs of people. When he got to his own apartment, he could feel the music pounding the walls.   
  
He took a quick shower and got into bed. Sam knew that he wouldn't sleep because of the music and the noise, so he just laid there.  
  
A knock on the door had him getting out of bed to see who it was. It was just the neighbors wanting to see if he wanted a beer. He politely declined and headed back to bed. Fifteen minutes later, Sam heard another knock at the door. It was the neighbors again, wanting to know if he wanted to come over and join the party. He politely declined and headed back to bed. Every fifteen minutes on the dot, the neighbors would come knock on the door. This went on for over an hour and Sam was fed up with it. He thought about where he could crash. Toby's was out because Toby and Andi were getting back together and he didn't want to rain on their evening. CJ was with a new boyfriend, so her place was out. Josh was in Connecticut for the weekend, visiting his mother, so that was out. Sam knew that Donna was home, probably doing homework and he was sure that she wouldn't mind letting him stay over. Sam felt funny about calling a girl that he worked with and asking if he could come spend the night, but after another knock on the front door, he had his mind made up and picked up the phone.  
  
  
Donna was sitting on the couch reviewing her latest speech assignment. She had to interview someone that she admired greatly and Donna immediately thought of Sam. He had supported her so much when she wanted to go back to school and helped her write a speech that bothered him. Sam was truly a great friend and someone who she cared for very deeply. Donna was concentrating so hard on writing the steps of a speech that Sam had taught her to do that she almost didn't hear the ring of the phone.  
  
"Hello?" Donna said as she snapped back to reality with the ringing phone.  
  
"Hey, it's me." Sam said rather loudly.  
  
"Hi, why are you talking so loudly?" Donna asked, as she held the phone away from her ear a little bit.  
  
"What?" Sam yelled into the phone.  
  
"Why are you talking so loudly?" Donna said, raising her voice to match his.  
  
"My neighbors are throwing another party next door and I can barely hear myself think. I'm getting a headache and I can't sleep because every 15 minutes, someone comes and knocks on the door and invites me over to party." Sam said, rubbing his head.  
  
"Oh, I see." Donna said, a little confused as to why he would be calling her at 11:30 p.m. on a Friday night.  
  
"Listen, I was wondering if I could, uh, come over and sleep at your place tonight." Sam said feeling a little shy and awkward.  
  
"Yeah, that would be fine. I have to ask you something anyway." Donna said with a smile that Sam couldn't see.  
  
"What?" Sam yelled again.  
  
"I said that it would be fine and I have to ask you something anyway." Donna said raising her voice even louder and hoping not to irritate the neighbors.  
  
"Thanks alot. I'll be over in about a half and hour. What was it that you wanted to ask me?" Sam said, intrigued.  
  
"I'll tell you when you get here. I'll see you in a little while." Donna said.  
  
"Yeah, see you soon." Sam said hanging up the phone.  
  
He packed an overnight bag that held all of his necessities and work clothes.  
  
Donna smiled to herself. She was not only not going to be alone, but now she would be able to get the interview she needed for class. She got her notes ready and left them on the living room table. Donna knew that Sam wouldn't be able to sleep and would hopefully be in the mood to talk. She passed by the table and sorted the bills. She already had three marked final notice. It was getting to be crunch time with the roommate situation. The last three people were just plain weird and made her feel uncomfortable in her own home.  
  
Sam was happy that he had a different place to stay. As he walked down the stairs of his building, three different people had offered beer, pot, and free sex to him. He desperately needed to move out now while he still had his sanity.  
  
Donna was watching out the window for Sam to pull up and buzzed him in. She met him at the door with a smile.  
  
"So, you weren't in the party mood, huh?" Donna asked with a smile.  
  
"Not after working on the Environment Bill memo." Sam said with a smile too.  
  
"Why don't you go throw your stuff in the bedroom and come have a cup of tea." Donna said.  
  
"Thanks. I'll be out in a few minutes." Sam said and disappeared into the empty bedroom.  
  
  
Sam hung up his work clothes in the empty closet and left the rest of his stuff in the bag. He went back into the kitchen and found Donna sitting at the table looking at papers.  
  
"What assignment are you working on on a Friday night?" Sam asked.  
  
"I have to interview someone that I greatly admire for communications class." Donna said.  
  
"What did you want to ask me about when I called earlier?" Sam asked.  
  
"Well, I wanted to know if I could interview you. You have supported me through going back to school and helping me write that speech." Donna said.  
  
"Of course you can interview me, but wouldn't you want to like interview the President or Josh. They are a lot more interesting than I am." Sam said.  
  
"Nonsense. The President would probably try to tell me all about Georgetown trivia and I would never get the assignment done. Josh has a big enough ego and I don't want to inflate it anymore. You have been here with me every step of the way, no matter what. You are the person that I greatly admire." Donna said.  
  
Sam couldn't believe that Donna was saying this about him. He had done those things for her because she was a friend. He had never expected any payback, but he was glad and surprised that she admired him.  
  
  
"The first thing I need from you is the basic information. Where you are from?" Donna said reading from the sheet in front of her.  
  
"You know that I am from Southern California." Sam said, sipping his tea.  
  
"So, are your parents proud of your accomplishments?" Donna asked.  
  
"I would like to think that my mother is." Sam said, as he continued to sip his tea.  
  
"What about your father?" Donna asked, not realizing what she had said until after the words were out of her mouth.  
  
Sam didn't answer. He just stared down at his cup of tea and sighed.  
  
"I am so sorry, Sam. I didn't even realize that I had said that. Please forgive me." Donna said as she laid a hand on top of his.  
  
Sam looked up into Donna's face and saw the pleading, sad look on her face.  
  
"It's okay. I know that you are just doing the work for your class." Sam tried to smile, but was unsuccessful.  
  
Donna knew that she had hit a sore subject and that Sam didn't really want to dwell on the things that had happened in his own family. Donna knew the feeling. Her family was still bugging her over the choice she made to drop out of college and then to go back and get a degree in her late twenties. It was something that would take time to come to terms with and be able to deal with it. She moved onto questions that would surely get him focused on something else.  
  
"Why did you choose this career?" Donna said.  
  
"I wanted to be a lawyer to help people, but working as Deputy Communications Director is cool too. I get to hire and fire people and I am in the paper a lot." Sam said with a smile when Donna looked at him.  
  
"How did you fall off the boat?" Donna asked with a knowing smile.  
  
"Josh should learn how to shut up when he is ahead. I am not going to tell you that." Sam said with a smile.  
  
"What do you see yourself doing in five years? Where do you plan to be at in your life?" Donna asked.  
  
"Hopefully married with children. Most likely working in a law office." Sam said.  
  
"Really? I didn't think that you were the type to want to get married." Donna said.  
  
"I was engaged before I joined the campaign. I want to and will have a life eventually." Sam said, finishing his cup of tea.  
  
"Thanks for doing this. I have plenty to get started on the speech." Donna said, cleaning up the papers on the table.  
  
"Well, I am going to go crash on the sofa then. I am so tired I can barely stay awake. Goodnight Donna." Sam said.  
  
"Good night to you Sam. I will see you in the morning." Donna said as she walked into her bedroom.  
  
Donna lay in bed thinking about what it was like to have another body in the apartment. She felt safe. There was someone there to protect her if need be. Donna had someone else to talk to and someone who would talk to her. She was starting to go stir crazy once she realized that the people she regularly talked to were from work. She didn't have any friends outside work because of the crazy schedule that she kept. Sam and the rest of her friends knew that she was looking for a new roommate, but they didn't know that Cheryl had moved out because Donna wasn't "there" for her as a roommate should be.  
  
  
Sam lay on the couch thinking about this evening. The situation at his apartment was reaching critical mass. The whole thing with the pot, alcohol, and free sex was the last nerve. He knew that his lease was up on Saturday and he had no place to go. Sam knew that he wouldn't sign up for another six months of what had been going on for the last three. He also knew that Donna felt bad about hitting the nerve with his father. Sam knew that she hadn't meant to bring up the bad memories and he hoped that he had reassured her enough that he wasn't mad or upset with her. Sam also didn't tell Donna that he had noticed the three bills on the table marked final notice and he knew that she was in a tough spot, but determined to make it on her own.  
  
  
  
"Good morning sunshine." Donna said as Sam came into the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning. I got the best night's sleep I've had in a long time." Sam said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.  
  
"I am glad that you got some sleep." Donna said with a smile.  
  
"Did Josh leave you a long list of things for you to do this weekend while he is out of town ?" Sam asked.  
  
"No, today I get the pleasure of cleaning out the files while you and Toby get to deal with the Christian Collective." Donna said.  
  
"Please don't remind me. That will be a joy." Sam said as he made a face.  
  
"Well, we don't want to be late, so let's get a move on." Donna said.  
  
"Okay, I'm ready to go." Sam said as he went to retrieve his overnight bag from the hallway.  
  
  
Donna locked the door and they both headed for their cars and went to work.  
  
  
  
Tuesday at lunchtime..............................................  
  
  
Donna was just putting the finishing touches on a memo when Sam came strolling across the bullpen and headed for her desk.  
  
"Hey, Sam." Donna said.  
  
"Hey. What are you doing for lunch?" Sam asked.  
  
"Probably just getting something out of the vending machine." Donna said. Since she was conserving on money, that also meant cutting back on trivial expenses like lunches out.  
  
"Then come with me to Lasalles. It's my treat." Sam said. He knew that she was cutting her expenses and was almost sure to be worrying about the price of lunch.  
  
"Okay. What do I owe the pleasure?" Donna asked, as she pulled out her purse.  
  
"It is my treat for Friday night." Sam said.  
  
  
Once they were seated and had ordered, they got into talking about the things that were going on in their lives.  
  
"How goes the great roommate search?" Sam asked.  
  
"It is not going anywhere. The last three people made me feel uncomfortable and no one else has responded to the add." Donna said.  
  
"It has to get better sometime. Maybe the perfect roommate will fall into your lap." Sam said trying to reassure Donna that things would get better.  
  
"I hope so. The last woman I interviewed looked and acted like my older sister. She started telling me how things were going to be and if I didn't like it, too bad. I had to remind her that it was my place and not hers. She said that the apartment was too small and left." Donna said with a grimace.  
  
"Just think, you could eventually end up with someone who will do everything for you and all you have to do is sit back." Sam said with a smile.  
  
"Not very likely. How are things with your neighbors?" Donna asked.  
  
"The same old stuff. Strange people roam the buildings at all hours. If my lease wasn't up on Saturday, I would be subletting. I just can't stay there anymore...things are just too weird for me." Sam said.  
  
"You said your lease was up on Saturday. Where are you going to stay?" Donna asked, concerned about her friend.  
  
"I will probably stay at a hotel until I find something." Sam said.  
  
  
Sam and Donna finished lunch and had pleasant conversation all the way back to work.  
  
  
  
Donna got home late that night and thought about things. Her apartment was cold and empty. She had no one to talk to about her day and desperately wanted someone there to share things with. Donna wanted to be able to see a happy smiling face when she got home. A check of the mail had brought another bill that was marked final notice. Things didn't seem to be getting much better. Donna was seriously contemplating offering Sam the roommate position. She trusted him and felt comfortable around him. He would be there for her to talk to and rant at when she felt down. He wouldn't be as good as a girl, but he would be there.  
  
  
  
  
Wednesday night, late...........................................  
  
Donna walked across the communications bullpen and saw that Sam was still in his office, working as usual. She got up her courage and knocked on the half open door.  
  
"Hey, Donna. What's up?" Sam asked.  
  
"I needed to talk to you about something." Donna said in a serious tone of voice.  
  
"What is it?" Sam asked.  
  
"You know how we have been talking about our living arrangements." Donna said.  
  
"Yeah about how much we hate them." Sam said, wondering where the conversation was going.  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you want to move in with me." Donna said.  
  
"Move in with you?" Sam asked, certain he had misheard her.  
  
"Yeah, you would be the perfect roommate. This way, you could move in as soon as your lease is done." Donna said.  
  
"I don't know. It could be weird." Sam said.  
  
"Why don't you think about it and let me know at lunchtime." Donna said.  
  
"Okay. I will let you know tomorrow at lunch." Sam said.  
  
"See ya tomorrow." Donna said and walked out of his office.  
  
  
Sam couldn't believe that Donna had just asked him to move in with her. Sure, they were friends, but living together would be changing their friendship and taking it to another whole new level. Sam liked the building that she lived in and it was affordable and close to work. He was certain that Josh would kill him when he found out, but that problem was for another day. Right now, he needed to decide if living with Donna was what he wanted to do. Sam wearily closed the laptop and headed for home to do some serious thinking.  
  
  
Thursday lunchtime........................................................................  
  
  
Sam walked up to Donna's desk where she was sipping soda through a straw and typing.  
  
"What are you doing?" Sam asked.  
  
"Hey, Sam. I am working through lunch, so that I can get out of here at a decent hour." Donna said, continuing to type while talking to him.  
  
"Can you take a break? I really need to talk to you and this close to Josh's office probably isn't the best idea." Sam remarked.  
  
"Sure, let me just save this and we can go talk." Donna said, punching some buttons on the computer and turning in her chair to look at Sam.  
  
"Why don't we go outside." Sam said.  
  
"Ok. Let's go." Donna said, as she stood up and followed Sam outside.  
  
  
Sam guided them to a bench and turned to look at Donna.  
  
"What did you need to talk to me about?" Donna asked.  
  
"The living arrangement that you mentioned yesterday." Sam said.  
  
"Okay. Go ahead and talk." Donna said.  
  
"I gave it some serious thought. I know that you desperately need a roommate and I have to get out of my building to preserve my sanity and possibly my life." Sam said.  
  
"Yes?" Donna asked, not knowing what was coming next.  
  
"I have given it some serious thought and yes, I will move in with you." Sam said with a big smile.  
  
"This is going to be so great." Donna said giving Sam a big hug.  
  
"It is going to be great for us, but what about the rest of our friends." Sam said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Donna asked, confused.  
  
"CJ will be pissed that she wasn't the first phone call. Josh will be mad because we didn't tell him. Some people won't care and some will think many other things." Sam said.  
  
"I know, but they will get over it. We are grown adults and can make decisions without telling everybody we know." Donna said and she was not going to allow anyone to tell her different.  
  
"So, we are moving in together." Sam said.  
  
"Yeah, do you want to start moving stuff in tomorrow after my class?" Donna asked.  
  
"Yeah, that way we won't have to move it all on Saturday and you won't have to be around all of the oddballs at my apartment for a long time." Sam said.  
  
"Okay. My class lasts until 9 p.m. I can swing by your place and cart some boxes and things over in my car." Donna said.  
  
"That's fine. I have already starting packing some stuff up, so there really isn't that much to pack up." Sam said.  
  
"So, I'll see you tomorrow night about 9:30 at your place." Donna said.  
  
"Yeah. I'll see you then. We'd better get back to work." Sam said standing up.  
  
"I gotta get back to typing up that stack of memos for Josh." Donna said, also standing up.  
  
  
Sam and Donna walked back inside the building and headed for their desks.  
  
  
Donna was so happy that Sam had agreed to move in with her. She finally found the perfect roommate-one that she trusted and loved with all of her heart as a friend. There would be someone to talk to after work, someone to hang out with, and someone there who cared about her and what she was going through. Donna smiled to herself at the thought of not having to come up with the whole 700.00 dollars a month for rent and that she could finally pay some of her lesser bills before they went to collections.  
  
  
Sam thought about his new living arrangements. He would be living in a building that didn't have weird neighbors. Sam was happy that he didn't have to move into a hotel and pay an outrageous sum every week. The 350.00 that Donna was charging him was well within his budget and less than what he was paying to live in a building that was overrun with trash. It would be a change to have a roommate, but this was Donna and it would be fun. There were bound to be some odd situations that would come up while he was living with a girl, but they would get through them.   
  
  
  
Friday Evening.............................................................  
  
Donna swung her compact car into the parking lot of Sam's building, narrowly avoiding a crash with another car, whose driver wasn't paying attention. She walked into the building and couldn't believe that Sam lived here. The stench of pot and beer was overwhelming and the pounding music was already killing her ears. She made her way upstairs to Sam's all the while avoiding the strange people who were collecting in the hallways. She walked up to the door and knocked, loud and hard.  
  
"Hi Donna." Sam said all out of breath.  
  
"Hey. Why are you all out of breath?" Donna asked.  
  
"I was just finishing up some packing. Come on in, but excuse the mess." Sam said.  
  
Donna took a double take. The normally homey apartment had been condensed into labeled and stacked boxes.  
  
"I can't believe that you got this much packed." Donna said, surveying the scene around her.  
  
"Some of this stuff has been packed up for a while." Sam explained to her.  
  
"What do you want to move first?" Donna asked, looking at the boxes.  
  
"I want to get the personal items moved first." Sam said as he moved some boxes of a stack.  
  
"What about your clothes and stuff?" Donna asked.  
  
"Everything like that is already packed into my car. This is just the stuff I can't live without." Sam said with a smile.  
  
"Okay, then. Let's get this stuff packed." Donna said reaching for a box.  
  
It took the two of them three trips to fully pack Donna's car. They ended up making several trips from Sam's place to Donna's place that got most of the stuff over there.  
  
"Well, there is only a little bit of stuff left at my old place. I was thinking that I could move it in the morning." Sam said to Donna as she helped him unpack boxes.  
  
"Why don't you crash on the couch tonight. That way you can get started unpacking some of these boxes." Donna said.  
  
"I think I will." Sam said with a smile as he reached for another box.  
  
  
  
Donna stayed up with Sam until her eyes would barely stay open. Sam sent her off to bed, but stayed up to finish unpacking. Tomorrow would be a long and tiring day. They had to move his bedroom set, exercise equipment, and assorted items of furniture that he had no idea what to do with. Sam knew that some of the stuff would be put into storage if there was no room for it in the apartment. All of the unpacked stuff was sitting in a pile. He knew that they needed to talk and get things situated. He wanted to put his touch on their apartment, but wanted to hear her say that it was ok. Sam finally made it to the couch and fell fast asleep.  
  
Donna drifted off to sleep hearing the comforting noises of another person in the room next door moving around. She was happy that Sam was here.  
  
Saturday morning found them both wide awake at 6:00 a.m. Donna was already up and making coffee when Sam got done with a shower. He smiled and took the cup of coffee she was holding out for him.  
  
"What are we moving today?" Donna asked.  
  
"Furniture." Sam replied.  
  
"What time do you have to make the final walk through with the landlord?" Donna asked.  
  
"I have to do that at 1:00 p.m., so we'd better get started as soon as this coffee is gone." Sam said.  
  
  
Donna and Sam managed to get all of the furniture and miscellaneous boxes packed and carted over to their place by noon. They both went back and did a final walk through before the landlord showed up.  
  
"I will miss this place." Sam said as he checked closets and cabinets.  
  
"Was it a nice place before your neighbors moved in?" Donna asked.  
  
"Yeah, it was great. It was always quiet and calm. No one ever bothered me at all." Sam said.  
  
  
At one o'clock on the dot, the landlord showed up. Donna stood and looked out of the window as the men concluded their business.  
  
"I am sorry to see you go Mr. Seaborn. You were one of the few tenants who respected the place." Ricky Jackson, the landlord, said.  
  
"Well, the new tenants were mainly the reason I chose not to renew the lease." Sam said.  
  
"If I had a beautiful girl like that, I wouldn't want to stay here either." Ricky added with a sly smile.  
  
"No, she's not my girlfriend. She's a co-worker who has a nice place and needed a roommate." Sam said wanting to clear up the misconception.  
  
"If I believed that, I'd believe that you have swampland in Arizona that you want to sell me." Ricky said with another sly smile and a glance in Donna's direction.  
  
"Is everything ok?" Sam asked wanting to get the conversation back on track.  
  
"All of the papers are signed and the final walkthrough is done, so you are all set. Here is the security deposit check for 700.00 dollars and the one month's rent you paid in advance, which is another 650.00 dollars. I hope that you enjoy the new place. Just shut the door when you leave and it will lock behind you." Ricky said as he disappeared out of the door.  
  
"Ready to go?" Sam asked Donna.  
  
"Yeah, let's go home." Donna said with a smile.  
  
  
Sam gave the apartment a backwards glance and shut the door. He followed Donna down the stairs where he would start a new part of his and their lives.  
  
  
Sam headed for his room to finish unpacking and rearrange things. Donna headed for the kitchen, stepping around boxes that were marked kitchen and living room. She finished the morning dishes and sat down to pay bills. Sam was getting fed up and walked into the kitchen and started unpacking boxes. He piled his stuff up in a couple of places. Donna knew what he was doing and waited until he got the box unpacked before speaking.  
  
"Sam, this is your place too. Put your things wherever you are comfortable with them." Donna said with a smile, trying to put Sam at ease. She knew that he still was 100% comfortable with the living arrangements.  
  
"Thanks, Donna. I didn't want to encroach on your space." Sam breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"It's your space now, too." Donna said with a smile.  
  
  
Sam grabbed Donna to help him unpack boxes. She unpacked and he decided where to put things. By the late afternoon, all of the kitchen boxes were unpacked and things put away in the cabinets. The living room was also unpacked before dinner. Sam's family and personal pictures were now mingling with Donna's pictures and gave the apartment a homey feeling that it was missing since Cheryl had moved out. The apartment was also now sporting new artwork for the walls that Donna could live with. The new furniture was also a nice addition and worked well with the existing furniture that Donna had.  
  
Sam stood in the doorway of his room and looked at it. The bedroom was big and roomy. It accommodated his bedroom set, exercise equipment, and his couch very nicely. He didn't have to put anything in storage.   
  
A quick dinner of pizza had filled them both up and they went into their rooms and fell asleep. They were both tired out from the day of moving and unpacking and situating. Sam glanced at the stack of papers on his dresser. They were the change of address forms for work. He would have to have Donna help him fill those out, so all of the address info was spelled right.  
  
  
Sunday....................................................  
  
Donna awoke to a pounding noise and jumped out of bed. She opened the curtain and looked out the window. There was a torrential rainstorm going on outside. It was going to be a gloomy gus day. Hopefully, there was something good on tv to watch. Donna made her way to the kitchen only to find Sam already there making coffee.  
  
"Good morning." Sam greeted her.  
  
"Whatever." Donna replied.  
  
"Someone isn't a morning person." Sam commented and Donna shot him a dirty look.  
  
  
They both read the paper and drank their coffee in silence. Donna headed for the shower after she was done with her coffee.  
  
When she came back into the living room, she did a double take. The place had been picked up and vacuumed.  
  
"What did you do?" Donna asked.  
  
"I cleaned up while you were in the shower." Sam said.  
  
"You didn't have to do that." Donna said, surprised at the sweet gesture.  
  
"Yes, I did. I live here now and I should clean up." Sam said and headed for the shower.  
  
  
Most of the morning was spent just hanging out watching Josh and Toby argue with more Christian Collective types. Sam and Donna got a huge kick out of them kicking butt and taking names later.  
  
Donna made her famous grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Then it was onto filling out paperwork.  
  
"Donna, what is the correct address of this place?" Sam asked, looking up from the paper he was filling out.  
  
"Why?" Donna asked and dried her hands on a dish towel.  
  
"I am filling out these stupid change of address forms for my insurance, bank, credit cards, and work." Sam complained.  
  
  
  
Donna preceded to tell him the address and stood behind him looking over his shoulder to make sure he was filling them out right. Every so often, she caught a mistake and pointed it out to him. Sam was glad that Donna was helping him because a mistake on these papers could mean huge delays and even more paperwork.  
  
  
Monday morning.................................................................  
  
  
Sam wandering into the kitchen, half dressed, and was shocked to see Donna sitting at the table eating breakfast and fully dressed.  
  
"How can you manage to look so together at this ungodly hour?" Sam asked, gulping down fresh coffee.  
  
"Thanks for the compliment. Working for Josh for three years has trained me." Donna said with a smile.  
  
"Are we going to car pool now?" Sam asked.  
  
"No, because I don't know what time I'll be off and I'd prefer to not get people talking about us before they find out about our living arrangements." Donna said.  
  
"Then, I'll probably see you after senior staff." Sam said and headed out the door.  
  
Donna put the dishes in the sink, made sure all of the lights were off, grabbed her things, and headed out the door to work. She knew that things would be different coming home to after work.  
  
  
Sam said hello to his fellow senior staffers as they made their way into the oval office for the staff meeting.  
  
  
"Sit down and let's get this show on the road." the President said coming into the office.  
  
"Sir, the Peoria Pirates football team is declining the invitation to the White House." CJ said.  
  
"Why?" President Bartlett asked.  
  
"Apparently, they feel you haven't given enough attention to the problems facing small town indoor football teams." CJ said, reading her notes.  
  
"That's because I haven't given any attention to it. Let it pass, CJ. What's next?" Bartlett asked.  
  
Nancy walked in without a word and handed the president a stack of papers. Sam had a bad feeling about what those papers were. He waited for the bomb to drop.  
  
"Well, it seems that one of my senior staff moved over the weekend without telling anyone." President Bartlett said and looked at Sam.  
  
"You moved and didn't tell anyone about it?" Josh asked, looking hurt that his best friend hadn't shared that information.  
  
"It really wasn't a big deal." Sam said wanting to get off the subject and fast.  
  
"So, your new address is..." President Bartlett read the address info off of the paper.  
  
"You know that address sounds familiar." Josh said and went into thinking mode.  
  
Sam counted the seconds until Josh realized the truth and blurted it out to their friends.  
  
"That's Donna's address. You moved in with Donna, my assistant." Josh shouted and glared at Sam.  
  
All of the eyes in the room turned to look at Sam.  
  
"Yes, I am living with Donna. We are roommates and that's all." Sam said.  
  
"Okay, now that we have cleared up Sam's living arrangements, let's get back to running the country." Leo said.  
  
  
Josh was mad. Why was his best friend living with his assistant and better yet, why didn't Sam tell anybody anything about. He would get answers after the meeting from somebody.  
  
Sam knew that there would be hell to pay when he talked to Josh. He wondered why Josh was having such a problem with this. He and Donna were only boss and friends. He would get his own answers after the meeting.  
  
  
  



End file.
